Friday October 12, 1973

At school I speak with Jackie Petit, who tells me she is giving a camp-fire rave-up in a field near the home of Michael Stott this evening. MM is close at hand, and he also sees the fun which is to be had at such a gathering - and especially with Miss Petit. I inform the delectable Jackie that I may pay her a visit after closing hours. She smiles amiably.

Later. After the usual round of telephone calls I arrive at the Fleece half an hour later than everyone else. From 8.30 until 11 I am sandwiched between Miss Christine White and Miss Laura Butchard. Laura is clad only scantily, in one of her very low-cut gowns, but reeking of those intolerable moth-balls. How weird all these evenings are without Dave, poor soul, whi is flogging his guts out in Worcester - and four four years!

Tragedy! At 11 o'clock MM just stands up and announces that he's going home. I ask: 'what about Jackie's party?' He quips: 'Oh, it will all be over by now.' I disagree and tell him so. He gives John and I a lift home.

See a good film starring Stewart Grainger as a brutal wife murderer. Lynn also sees it with me. I am in bed by nearly 2am. Sleep soundly.

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Friday September 14, 1973

Awake at 7.30. Everyone leaves at 9.0 either for work or school. Uncle H going back to Wakefield.

I sit preparing my monarchy discussion until 11.30. Get the bus to school arriving at 12. I argue with Stott about funerals and the whole subject of people dying - he really is an uncultured brat.

Later: Christine and I hold our 6th form debate on the monarchy. Everyone dissolves when I say that the monarchy is good value for money compared with, say, the advertising for Kraft cheese slices - on which £7m per annum is spent. We cannot look at the monarchy is terms of tax payers money.

Later: John and I go to Chris's again. Find Andy preparing Chris's evening meal. Evidently, poor Chris is going on a pub crawl from work so before he even joins us he'll be stoned out of his tiny mind.

Another drunken escapade follows in the Fleece and we arrive back at Chris's house at 10.30 - after buying about 20 pints of beer at an off-licence. Very much like last Friday but minus Christine and Philip. Andy and I get awfully pissed and we both go buy some cigs at the machine outside Grandways at 4.30am. Whilst leaping over the large concrete plantpots Andy falls and hurts his ankle. I carry him back to Chris's - against his will. Chris and I bandage him up and then Chris makes John and I eggs and chips. Fall to sleep soundly until the following morning. Dave, the lucky blighter, was in a warm bed. I had the floor.

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Wednesday September 5, 1973

A letter arrives from Middleton St George confirming just what I expected - they do not want me - this year anyway. Revise Napoleon I all day in the library. I took in a pile of records dating mainly from 1971. At leat they are more interesting than Donovan, etc.

Sit at lunchtime sharing my sandwiches with Christine. Oh, remember the days when I spent lunchtimes with June? Christine saw June in Horsforth the other day. She asked about me but is still enjoying herself deliriously. She went to the Mecca and Hoffbrau with Sue Bottomley last week. I would love things to revert to how they existed only several weeks ago. Michael Stott does not mention her name, although he must still be calling on her with Paul Tasker. I hold no grudge against the boy. Why can't she forget about the past? What can I have possibly done wrong anyway? I will write yet-again, begging her to reconsider. When I look back in the diary I realise what good times we used to share. Now it's all over. No wonder I cannot worry about my future career. What is to be enjoyed in life without June?

--==--

Friday August 24, 1973

Work again. Ring Mum at 12.45. The 'O' level results are not at Benton yet. It will be Wednesday before I find out now. Not particularly bothered. I am numb. I feel no happiness and no sadness.

I do realise that June feels nothing for me. I have pretended to ignore it since the holiday. Those blasted holidays. We were so much in love until Friday July 13. The months separation proved too much. Our loved died. It is not my fault. I have tried to bring back the old spirit. My letters fail to please her. Stott and Tasker have turned her away from me. I no longer care about anything.

She rings me at 7 and says she will be at the Emmotts for 8. Arrives at 8.30.She is terrible to me. For some time I hate the very sight of her. Chris, MM, Linda Smith, Christine White and Judith Lea ask us to go back to MMs. Drink whisky until 3am. June and Judith are taken home at 11.20 by MM. Chris gets horribly drunk. I sit in the kitchen with him leaving John and Christine W, MM and Linda in the main lounge.

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Thursday July 12, 1973

June comes to school at 3.30. At 4 we walk down to the bus stop at Greenacre Hall. She goes at 4.20. Feeling very strange I walk back to the 6th form where Christine and Michael Stott are larking around. Go home on the 5 o'clock bus.

Christine and I are the last people out of the block, leaving Mary to her devices.

Sad, quiet evening.

--==--

Thursday July 5, 1973

June and I today have been going out for 22 weeks. We should be celebrating this tonight. Go to school for 10 o'clock - take in a pile of 'ye olde records' - very enjoyable. Christine, Maggie Edwards, Liz Claptrap, Michael Stott and I sit about grooving to such classics as 'Sunny Afternoon' by the Kinks. A rainy, humid day.

Home by 5. June rings at 7 and says she is very tired having worked all day and would like to be excused from the arduous ordeal of going out tonight - I sympathise. John, who is already in the bath, insists on going out and we go up to the Emmotts on the 7.30 bus. After spending half an hour in the local we decide to walk to the Queen's Arms down Apperley Lane. Arrive 8.45. John doesn't like the place much. The walls have portraits of Queens all over them - both regnants and consorts - we stand near Anne Boleyn, Mary of Teck and Queen Victoria.

Set off at 9.45 for Guiseley, walking through the sewage works, and after a long walk we have fish and chips in Guiseley. Come home at 11.50. See 'Jason King' on tv. Come to bed at 12.35.

--==--

Monday June 4, 1973

Holiday in the Irish Republic. Chris 18. Get up at 8. Go to Benton at 9. Christine tells me how Philip hit Dale in the Stone Trough on Tuesday last week. She's worried that Dale will take it out on her. He ignores Christine when he finally arrives at 10 o'clock.

Louise and Ray have finished and she is now going out with an Italian living in Yeadon with the unlikely name of Robert! Roberto would be more in keeping with custom wouldn't it!

June prefers to sit with Michael Stott instead of me at lunchtime. Christine and I rescue the stool from the tree. I then put it back. Decide to go home this afternoon and get the 2.30 bus - the sun is extremely hot. Arrive home at nearly 3. Mum and Dad are sitting in the sun.

I have scrambled eggs on toast and revise all evening. Bed at 11.30.

--==--

Wednesday February 14, 1973

St Valentine's Day. Awoke at 7.45. The lane looked like something pictured on a Christmas card. Perfectly picturesque. Nothing looks nicer than a beautiful snow scene. Waiting for me downstairs was the Valentine's card from June - I recognised the writing on the envelope.
A pleasant walk to the bus stop through crisp snow. Got to school at 9. Chris had not forgotten Louise's card after all - he had spent 75p on one. June arrived at 9.30. My card to her had not been delivered. She looked awfully upset. I had to explain that it would probably be a late delivery. She cheered up. At 10 Chris and I went for an interview with Mr Gaunt - he arranged for two interviews at Lewis's and Debenham's for a week on Saturday.
At lunchtime Pee Wee, Willy, June, Janet and myself went for a play in the snow - it was fantastic but very cold. June sure is a good shot with a snowball, and Janet Roots is a devil, she got everywhere and resembled a snowman.
Louise, Chid, Irene and myself had a discussion on religion during the afternoon. Chid said our sole purpose in life is to reproduce. He would say that. He added that we humans are only well educated animals. Louise and I, Christians, got really narked. Irene abstained.
At 4.15 Michael Stott, Janet, Linda, June and I went out into the snow once again. What a laugh. It's been a really wonderful day. June, the weather, everything! Since last month things have become much more enjoyable. I feel a poem coming on:

When all the world is young, lad
And all the trees are green
with every goose a swan, lad
And every lass a Queen
Then hey for boot and horse, lad
Around the world away
Young blood must have its course, lad
and every dog his day

Quiet evening at home. Bath. Bed at 11.20. June and I are going to the Emmotts tomorrow. Linda might be dropping out leaving us alone. It's probably part of the Bottomley/West scheme. Of course I will need to borrow the usual £1 until Saturday night again - no difficulties with this at all now. I am much too tired to write any more. I have outlined the day thoroughly enough.
Good night all!

--==--

Friday February 2, 1973

It is now all round the 6th form about June and I. Michael Stott kept harping on about it all afternoon. I got the 9 o'clock bus. Friday is always a busy day for me starting with double Economics in the morning. At lunchtime Benita made Janet Roots face up. She looked quite attractive. But she is too self-conscious, and was so embarrassed and rubbed it all off. Ruth Ashmore and myself were compelled in the afternoon to do 2 periods of Biology. Louise, the cheating Arab, came across at 3.30. Mrs Stancliffe had the form in hysterics when she came to doing a diagram on the blackboard.

Back in the 6th form June was fooling around pretending to ignore me, and she left at 4 without me, but she was peeping through the window to attract my attention. Today Cowie (Graham Cowburn) kept saying that he didn't know how anyone could put up with June - her being so frivolous and full of vitality. Cowie and Andy G are going to the Emmott Arms on Sunday. Linda W has a terrible crush on Andy, but he ignores her completely.

At 7.30 I went down to the Chuck Wagon. It was completely dead until 9.30. Sue, who was 23 yesterday, had a touch of diarrhoea and did not look at all well all evening. Toffer brought me home at 12.15. Lynn and Susan were watching telly. I came to bed at 1.35. Today Mum reverted from being blond to her natural colour. We were all stunned. She looked so different. At 8.30 Mum, Dad and Auntie Hilda and Uncle Tony went to the Police Ball. They were still not home at 12.30.

--==--

Monday January 22, 1973

The main subject of discussion at school today was the amusing events of Fridays drunken engagement party. To my amazement Janet says she caught to bus to Horsforth. It seems I am madly in love with June. But I'm not the only one, or so it seems. Dave, Steve Tate, Peter Hurst, Michael Stott, and many more have fallen under her bewitching spell. I would love to know whether she fancies me...the competition gives me an even greater urge to succeed in capturing her beautiful heart.

It was announced on the late night news several minutes ago that Lyndon Johnson, former president of the United States 1963-69 has died from a heart attack. No doubt the mess in Vietnam added a couple of decades to his life. He has looked 90 since 1966. He was only 64.

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